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Colonel Paul Tibbets and the
Enola Gay
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Enola Gay Facts: Fast Fact Sheet for kids
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the
Enola Gay.
What was the Enola Gay? The Enola Gay
was the name given to the airplane, a Boeing
B-29 Superfortress bomber, that dropped the
atomic bomb "Little Boy" on the city of
Hiroshima, Japan during WW2.
Who was the pilot of the Enola Gay?
The name of the pilot of the Enola Gay was
Colonel Paul Tibbets.
Why was the plane called the Enola Gay?
The aircraft was named for Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of
the pilot, Paul Tibbets.
When was the atomic bomb dropped from
the Enola Gay?
The atomic bomb "Little Boy" was
dropped from the Enola Gay on to the city of
Hiroshima at 08.15am on August 6, 1945.
Enola Gay Facts
for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting information, history and
facts on Enola Gay for kids.
Enola Gay
Facts for kids
Enola Gay Facts - 1:
The Atomic Bomb was developed by
scientists working on the Manhattan Project. The "Little
Boy" uranium core atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima
on August 6, 1945 from the 'Enola Gay' Boeing B-29
Superfortress bomber and the "Fat Man" a-bomb was
dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 from the 'Bockscar'
bomber.
Enola Gay
Facts - 2: Project Alberta (Project A) was a section of the Manhattan Project that
prepared for the delivery of the atomic bomb by conducting
bomb delivery tests and
modifying aircraft for carrying the atomic weapons.
Enola Gay
Facts -
3: Details of the Enola Gay including
the serial number, height, weight, length, speed and
bomb load are as follows:
Model Type: Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber
Serial Number: 44-86292
Length: 30.2 m (99 ft)
Height: 9 m (29 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 43 m (141 ft 3
in)
Weight: 31,400 kg (69,000
lb) empty
Weight: 54,500 kg
(120,000 lb) fully loaded
Cruise Speed: 355 km/hr
(220 mph)
Maximum Speed: 588 km/hr
(365 mph)
Combat Radius: 4670 km
(2900 miles)
Bomb Load: 9090 kg
(20,000 lb)
Enola Gay
Facts -
4: Tinian, one of the three principal
islands of the Mariana Islands, was one of the largest
airbases of WW2 and the North Field runway was the
departure point of the 509th Composite Group bombers
Enola Gay and Bockscar
Enola Gay
Facts - 5: The Enola Gay arrived on Tinian on 6
July 1945. Colonel Paul Tibbets
and the 393rd Bombardment Squadron begin test drops with
dummy bombs called "Pumpkins" that were
painted a distinctive mustard colored.
Enola Gay
Facts - 6: Lieutenant Colonel Paul Tibbets made
the decision to use his mother’s name 'Enola Gay Tibbets'
as the name for the aircraft because she was always
positive and had once told him, “Whatever happens to you
in your life, everything will work out”. The unusual
name given to his mother was from the heroine of the
novel Enola; or, Her fatal mistake.
Enola Gay
Facts - 7: The Enola Gay was built under a top
secret program, code-name "Silverplate", to produce huge
B-29 Superfortress bombers specially modified for atomic
bombing missions.
Enola Gay
Facts -
8: On August 5, 1945, the day before the
mission, B-29 was maneuvered over a bomb loading
pit from which the atomic bomb "Little Boy" was hoisted
on an hydraulic lift into the aircraft weapon bay and
then taxied to Runway Able at North Field, Tinian.
Enola Gay
Facts - 9: The "Little Boy" atomic bomb was 10
feet (3.0 m) long and 28 inches (71 cm) wide. It weighed
4.1 tons, and the TNT firing device weighed nearly 28
pounds (12.5 kilograms)
Enola Gay
Facts - 10: Six other aircraft, loaded with
photographic and scientific equipment, accompanied the
Enola Gay on the mission.
Enola Gay
Facts - 11: The 13-hour mission to Hiroshima
began at 02.45 hrs in the morning Tinian time on August
6, 1945.
Enola Gay
Facts -
12: Once the Enola Gay was safely
airborne, Navy Captain William Parsons climbed into the
bomb bay and armed the 9,000-pound "Little Boy" atomic
bomb
Enola Gay
Facts - 13: At 0815, Hiroshima time, bombardier
Tom Ferebee released the nuclear weapon. The bomb was
dropped by parachute and exploded 1,900ft (580m) above
the ground. After 43
seconds, "Little Boy" exploded with thermo-nuclear
blast. As soon as the bomb was released the Enola Gay
began its escape maneuver.
Enola Gay
Facts -
14: The effects of the atomic bomb
explosion produced an intense light flash and a
tremendous roar due to the shock wave of the explosion.
A ball of fire rose rapidly, followed by a mushroom
cloud that extended to the height of 40,000 feet (12,200
metres).
Enola Gay
Facts -
15: The Enola Gay was rocked by the shock
wave that traveled directly from the fireball. Several
seconds later the aircraft was struck by a second weaker
shock reflected from the ground.
Enola Gay
Facts -
16: The mushroom cloud, which had climbed
to 40,000 feet, was visible from the Enola Gay for almost an
hour and a half, finally being lost from sight 363 miles
from Hiroshima.
Enola Gay
Facts -
17: After a return flight, lasting 12
hours and 13 minutes, the Enola Gay landed safely at
Tinian Island.
Enola Gay
Facts -
18: "Little Boy" destroyed about 63% of
the city, 76,000 buildings. It is estimated that 265,000
people died due to the Hiroshima atomic bomb, including
its radioactive fallout.
Enola Gay
Facts - 19: On 4 July 1949 the Enola Gay was
transferred by the U. S. Air Force to the Smithsonian
Institution and remained in outdoor "storage",
unprotected and unattended. In July 1961 the Enola Gay
was disassembled and stored indoors at the Paul E.
Garber Facility in Maryland. The airplane underwent
restoration from 1984 to 1995.
Enola Gay
Facts - 20: After considerable controversy the
Enola Gay was put up for exhibition and moved to its
permanent location at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in
the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia
on 18 August 2003.
Enola Gay
Facts -
21: "Enola Gay" is an anti-war song by
the British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The
song was released on September 26, 1980. The lyrics of
the anti-war song relate directly to the events of the
day the atomic bomb was dropped with reference to "eight
fifteen" the time the bomb was dropped and asks the
question "Is mother proud of little boy today" in
reference to the Hiroshima bomb's nickname.
Continued...
Enola Gay
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Enola Gay Facts for kids:
The Flight Crew
The following fact
sheet continues with interesting information, history and facts
on the crew of Enola Gay for kids.
Enola Gay
Facts for kids: The Flight Crew
Enola Gay
Facts - 22: The flight crew of the Enola Gay consisted of
twelve men, including Paul Tibbets, who were all trained in secret
for the mission. The names of the crew were:
● Paul W. Tibbets, 509th Group CO and pilot
● William "Deak" Parsons, Manhattan Project
Scientist
● Robert A. Lewis, co-pilot
● Theodore J. Van Kirk, navigator
● Richard H. Nelson, radio operator
● Joseph S. Stiborik, radar operator
● George R. Caron, tail gunner
● Robert H. Shumard, assistant engineer
● Wyatt E. Duzenbury, flight engineer
● Thomas W. Ferebee, bombardier
● Jacob Beser, radar countermeasure officer
● Morris R. Jeppson, bomb electronics test
officer
Enola Gay
Facts - 23: The only people who knew the significance of the
top secret bomb on the Enola Gay were the Paul Tibbets, the pilot,
Captain Robert Lewis the co-pilot and Captain Deke Parsons. The crew
knew they were on a special mission, because the chaplains were
there to see them off and before take-off they were surrounded by
military photographers
Enola Gay
Facts - 24: Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. (February 23, 1915 –
November 1, 2007) was the pilot of the Enola Gay. Brigadier General
Leslie Groves, director of the Manhattan Project, selected Paul
Tibbets to be responsible for organizing and training the flight
crew and for the role of pilot on the Enola Gay. He published his autobiography, 'The
Paul Tibbets Story' in 1978.
Enola Gay
Facts - 25: Captain Robert Lewis (October 18, 1917 - June 18,
1983) was the Co-Pilot of the Enola Gay aircraft. Captain Robert Lewis
allegedly recalls saying or thinking as he looked down, “My God,
what have we done.”
Enola Gay
Facts -
26: Captain Deke Parsons (26 November
1901 – 5 December 1953) was a Naval gunnery officer (Weaponeer),
who had worked as a scientist on the Manhattan Project
and appointed the head of Project Alberta. He
was responsible for the delivery of the nuclear weapon.
Enola Gay
Facts - 27: 2nd Lieutenant Morris Jeppson (June 23, 1922 –
March 30, 2010) was an Ordnance Expert and electronics specialist
who was assigned to arm the atomic bomb on the Enola Gay. His role was to provide
assistance to Captain William “Deak” Parsons with the final assembly
and arming of the "Little Boy" atomic bomb in the bomb bay.
Enola Gay
Facts - 28: Lieutenant Jacob Beser (May 15, 1921
– June 16, 1992) was an Army Air Force radar specialist
and responsible Electronic Countermeasures. He was the
only man to served on both the Enola Gay mission and the
Bockscar mission which bombed Nagasaki three days later
on August 9, 1945
Enola Gay
Facts -
29: Sergeant Joseph Stiborik (1914–1984)
was the Radar Operator on the Enola Gay
Enola Gay
Facts -
30: Staff Sergeant Robert Caron (October
31, 1919 - June 3, 1995) was the Tail Gunner on the
Enola Gay. He later wrote a book about the Enola Gay
mission called Fire of a Thousand Suns.
Enola Gay
Facts -
31: Major Thomas Ferebee (November 9, 1918 – March
16, 2000), a Bombardier was the crew member who pushed the button
that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Enola Gay
Facts - 32: Staff Sergeant Wyatt Duzenbury was
the Flight Engineer who was assigned to monitor the
aircraft's engines and electronic systems. He died in
1992 at the age of 71.
Enola Gay
Facts - 33: Sergeant Robert H. Shumard was the Assistant
Flight Engineer to Wyatt Duzenbury
Enola Gay
Facts - 34: Private Richard Nelson was the radio
operator and at 20 years of age was the youngest of the
crew who relayed coded messages about the Hiroshima
mission
Enola Gay
Facts - 35: Air Force captain Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk
(February 27, 1921 – July 28, 2014) was the navigator of the Enola
Gay. Van Kirk later participated in Operation Crossroad, the first
Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests. He became the last surviving member
of the Enola Gay crew.
Enola Gay
Facts for kids: The Flight Crew
Enola Gay - President Harry Truman Video
The article on the
Enola Gay provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Harry Truman video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 33rd American President whose presidency spanned from April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953.
Enola Gay Facts
●
Interesting Facts about Enola Gay for kids and schools
●
Enola Gay Facts for kids
●
Enola Gay Facts with important dates and key
events
●
Harry Truman
Presidency from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945
●
Fast, fun, Enola Gay Facts for kids
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WW2 and the Enola Gay
● Harry Truman Presidency and
Enola Gay Facts for schools,
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